Akis Zikos

Andreas Vasilios "Akis" Zikos (Greek: Ανδρέας Βασίλειος "Άκης" Ζήκος; born 1 June 1974) is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was a strong and industrious player, known for his tackling and positioning skills. At international level, he represented the Greece national team making 18 appearances between 1996 and 2001.

Akis Zikos
Personal information
Full name Andreas Vasilios Zikos
Date of birth (1974-06-01) 1 June 1974
Place of birth Athens, Greece
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1998 Skoda Xanthi 114 (4)
1998–2002 AEK Athens 105 (6)
2002–2006 Monaco 103 (2)
2006–2008 AEK Athens 50 (0)
Total 372 (12)
National team
1996–2001 Greece 18 (0)
Teams managed
2013–2015 AEK Athens (Youth Team Director)
2017– AEK Athens (Youth Team Director)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Skoda Xanthi

Zikos started his professional career in 1993 with Skoda Xanthi for whom he spent 4 seasons in the Greek Super League.[1]

AEK Athens

Between 1998 and 2002 he was an integral part of AEK Athens, winning the Greek Cup in two occasions, 2000 and 2002.

Monaco

In the summer of 2002 he was signed by Monaco where he played for four seasons in Ligue 1.[2] He also proved his talent with the club on the European stage. In 2003, he won the French League Cup and in 2004 AS Monaco (always under Didier Deschamps) made it to the UEFA Champions League Final where they lost to José Mourinho's FC Porto in Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen. Despite their heavy loss (3–0 for FC Porto), Zikos was recognized one of the best players on the pitch that day. His appearance in the final made Zikos the first Greek to play in a UEFA Champions League final.

Return to Greece

In 2006, after 4 full successful years in France, Zikos decided to return to his home country to play for his favorite team, AEK Athens. Zikos, in an injury plagued year for AEK Athens, helped the team to finish in second place and achieve a Champions League 3rd qualification round berth. He retired from football on 20 April 2008 on the final game of the regular season.

International career

He won 18 caps for Greece, but fell out of favor when coach Otto Rehhagel took over the team. After helping Monaco to the 2004 UEFA Champions League Final, he was considered for selection in Greece's victorious Euro 2004 squad, however he was ultimately overlooked.[3]

Honours

AEK Athens

Monaco

References
  1. "Stats Centre: Akis Zikos Facts". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
  2. Andreas Zikos – French league stats at LFP (also available in French)
  3. "Papadopoulos in Greek squad". BBC. 23 May 2004. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
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